For the Reback daughters, the big attraction was the famous Ten
Commandments monument, brought to Florida on tour after being
removed from the Alabama judicial building as unconstitutional.
The youngsters - dressed in red, white, and blue - clustered
proudly around the display.

For more than 900 other Christians from across the US, the
draw at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church last month was a national
conference aimed at "reclaiming America for Christ."
The monument stood as a potent symbol of their hopes for changing
the course of the nation.

"We have God-sized problems in our country, and only
God can solve them," Richard Land, a prominent leader of
the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), told the group.

Their mission is not simply to save souls. The goal is to
mobilize evangelical Christians for political action to return
society to what they call "the biblical worldview of the
Founding Fathers." Some speak of "restoring a Christian
nation." Others shy from that phrase, but agree that the
Bible calls them not only to evangelize, but also to transform
the culture.

In material given to conference
attendees, the Rev. D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge pastor wrote:
"As the vice-regents of God, we are to bring His truth and
His will to bear on every sphere of our world and our society.
We are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods,
our schools, our government ... our entertainment media, our
news media, our scientific endeavors - in short, over every aspect
and institution of human society."

This is the 10th conference to spread this "cultural
mandate" among Christians, and although the church's pastor
couldn't speak due to illness, others presented the message intended
to rouse the conservative faithful, eager to capitalize on gains
won during the November election.

This melding of religion and politics, Christianity and patriotism,
makes many uneasy, particularly those on the other side of the
so-called culture war, who see a threat to the healthy discourse
of a pluralistic society.

"This is an effort to impose a particular far-right religious
view, and political and social policies that result from that,
on others," says Elliot Mincberg of People for the American
Way, a group that advocates for a diverse society. "There's
nothing wrong with trying to convince others to adopt their views,
but [Dr. Kennedy's] effort is also to use the levers of government
to force changes."

An energetic pastor who built Coral Ridge into a 10,000-member
megachurch with far-reaching radio and TV audiences,
the Rev. Dr. Kennedy regularly calls the US a Christian nation
that should be governed by Christians. He has created a Center
for Christian Statesmanship in Washington that seeks to evangelize
members of Congress and their staffs, and to counsel conservative
Christian officeholders.

Some critics suggest these views reflect far-right Presbyterian
thinking, some of which extends to the realm of theocracy, the
belief that God - or His representatives - should govern the
state.

Frederick Carlson, author of "Eternal Hostility: the
Struggle between Theocracy and Democracy," says that if
Kennedy is not a theocrat, "he is certainly a dominionist,"
one who supports taking over and dominating the political process.

Kennedy is not in the theocratic camp, says John Aman, Coral
Ridge spokesman. He does believe that "Christians should
not sequester themselves inside their stained-glass ghettoes,
but seek to be 'salt and light' - apply biblical moral truth
and the Gospel - to every area of society."

It's apparent that those who've traveled here from 40 states
are eager to do just that. Many of them say they are most motivated
by signs of moral decline in America, concern for their children's
future, and what they see as an effort to keep God and religious
speech out of public life.

"The country is getting further away from Christian values,
and we're being stifled," says Debbie Mochle-Young, of Santa
Monica, Calif. "Other nationalities are coming to live here
and say, 'We want our beliefs,' but they don't let you have yours."
Nathan Lepper, an Air Force retiree active in politics in Florida,
says he has "a personal passion to help America turn back
to its moral and ethical bases."

Some are already involved in their communities - in antiabortion
actions, in trying to prevent removal of feeding tubes from Terri
Schiavo, or in efforts to oppose same-sex marriage by defining
marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Gabriel Carpenter, from Dryden, N.Y., works at a local crisis
pregnancy center and is a coordinator for the now-required sexual
abstinence program in New York public schools. He and his wife,
Penelope, say they hope to "learn more about how to share
America's Christian heritage with others."

Christianity and patriotism are interwoven throughout the
gathering, from Christian and American flags marched into the
sanctuary, to red, white, and blue banners festooning the church
complex, to a rousing "patriotic concert." Several
speakers emphasize the idea that America's founders were largely
Christian and that their intent was to establish a biblically
based nation. (No mention is made of other influences on the
Founding Fathers, such as Enlightenment thinkers or issues of
freedom of conscience.)

David Barton, a leading advocate for emphasizing Christianity
in US history, deftly selects quotes from letters and historical
documents to link major historical figures such as George Washington
to a Christian vision, and to suggest that the courts and scholars
in the last century have deliberately undermined the original
intent of the Founding Fathers.

Critics, including historians and the Baptist Joint Committee,
challenge the accuracy of some of Mr. Barton's work, including
what he calls "the myth of separation of church and state."

In "Blessed Assurance: A History of Evangelicalism in
America," religious historian Randall Balmer of Columbia
University writes that a "contrived mythology about America's
Christian origins" has been a factor in the reentry of evangelicals
into political life, helping sustain the conservative swing in
American politics. Barton and others say they are recapturing
truths hidden behind a secularist version of history, while critics
say they are producing revisionist history that cherry-picks
facts and ignores historical evidence.

But Barton is clearly a favorite speaker, with a theme buttressing
the identity and purpose of those eager to reform the country.
And there's plenty for them to do. Coral Ridge's Center for Reclaiming
America is building a grass-roots alliance around five issues:
the sanctity of life, religious liberty, pornography, the "homosexual
agenda," and creation vs. evolution.

The Center aims to increase its 500,000-strong "e-mail
army" to 1 million, and to encourage Christians to run for
office. It has plans for 12 regional offices and activists in
all 435 US House districts. And a new lobbying arm in Washington
will target judicial nominations and the battle over marriage.

"If they don't vote our way, we'll change their view
one way or another," executive director Gary Cass tells
the group. As a California pastor, Dr. Cass spearheaded efforts
to close abortion clinics and recruit Christians to seek positions
on local school boards. "We're going to take back what we
lost in the last half of the 20th century," he adds.

"Taking back" is a major theme - taking back the
schools, the media, the courts.

It's time to "take back the portals of power," and
particularly those of commerce, because "commerce controls
all the gates - to government, the courts, and so on," says
businessman Michael Pink in a workshop. Recounting his own business
success based on in-depth Bible study, Mr. Pink says he's now
urging wealthy Christian businessmen to start using their earnings
to purchase such prizes as ABC and NBC.

Interspersed between worshipful singing, prominent activist
leaders tout recent successes. Alan Sears of the Alliance Defense
Fund, who has led the charge in the states against same-sex marriage,
talks of victories in Ohio and California and the phalanx of
800 lawyers now trained for the fight across the US. Tim Wildmon
of the American Family Association highlights growing impact
on the entertainment industry, from spurring FCC regulatory actions
against broadcast indecency to causing major companies to pull
their ads from TV programs.

Yet it's the most combative language that brings the crowd
to its feet in applause: "Judicial activists are running
rampant and a God-free country is their goal.... All means to
turn the tide must be considered, including their removal,"
urges the Rev. Rick Scarborough, founder of Vision America, which
mobilizes "patriot pastors" across the US.

SBC's Dr. Land, credited with helping to turn out evangelical
voters in the 2004 election, says Kennedy's conferences have
an impact: "No one has been more important in helping Christians
of every denominational persuasion understand first, their evangelistic
responsibility ... and then their responsibility to be salt and
light in the world."

Others suggest that among evangelicals as a whole - whose
numbers are estimated to represent at least 25 percent of the
US population - the appeal and influence of such religio-political
activism are limited.

This is "more right wing and religiously politicized
than the majority of evangelicals," says Christian Smith,
professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. "Most would not make the kind of 'take back
America' statements in such an overt way."

In an in-depth national study published in 2000 under the
title, "Christian America? What Evangelicals Really Want,"
Dr. Smith explored the views of a remarkably diverse group, with
many holding conflicted views on political involvement and the
issues and methods of activists.

Still, the 2004 election confirmed a growing mobilization
of conservative Christians. And in a recent Barna survey of American
pastors about their choice for "the most trusted spokesperson
for Christianity," Dr. Kennedy made the top 10, sharing
the final spot with three others, including Christian broadcaster
Pat Robertson and President Bush, each winning the vote of 4
percent of the clergy.